Pink and Frothy
by Nytel
Summary: I don't think even you are mean enough to throw me in the brig for making you a birthday present. KaraLee. Set in early season 1.


**Pink and Frothy**

Kara smiled mischievously as she snuck into Galactica's kitchen. It was the middle of the night and no one was around, but she made sure she was quiet anyway. After all, she wasn't precisely allowed to be in there, though if someone caught her she figured she could wriggle herself out of brig time.

Today—she glanced at her watch, yes, today—was Lee's birthday. He was so buried in piles of CAG paperwork that he probably hadn't realized, but she knew, and she was bound and determined to get him to take the stick out of his ass for at least a few minutes so he could enjoy himself.

She had brainstormed for ideas and had come up with a lot of different ones. Some were lame and others were completely impossible to pull off, so instead she had settled for doing something simple, something that would hopefully be easy.

Kara headed straight for the huge walk in fridge and began searching its contents. She only needed to find all the ingredients and then she could get started.

* * *

Lee glanced up at the clock on the wall and groaned. It was nearing 0300 and he still had to finalize the refueling op plan for the end of the week. Not to mention, after that he really should get started on the next CAP schedule.

He sighed in frustration and leaned back in his chair, tilting it so the back was against the wall behind him. He had always imagined that one day someone would offer him the position of CAG on a battlestar, but whenever he'd foreseen that it was quickly followed by him turning down the offer, simply to spite his father.

For a long time he'd been able to picture how the rest of his life would unfold after that moment: he would resign, move to Picon or maybe Virgon, open a bar… at one time the details had been astonishingly clear, but now he had to struggle to remember them. It didn't really matter, he surmised, seeing as he didn't have the option anymore. Like how he hadn't had the option to take up the CAG's position or not. He supposed he could have theoretically turned it down, but one thing Lee had always prided himself on was being a man of principle, and that pride had abolished his freedom to choose.

Lee closed his eyes as he ran his hands over his face. He really should just finish up as quickly as he could and then catch whatever fragments of sleep he could manage, but he was quickly losing motivation. Funnily enough it reminded him of War College, pulling all-nighters before exams. It had always started out great, seeming like a brilliant idea, but once he'd been at it long enough it was all he could do to force himself to read another line of the textbook.

Lee's thoughts were interrupted by a loud creaking noise and a rush of 'fresh' air, as the hatch to his office opened. His eyes flew open and he sat up straight, bringing his chair back into an upright position. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Kara closing the hatch behind her. For a second he'd thought it was possibly his father, or even Colonel Tigh.

When Kara turned around, facing him, he saw that she was holding a very large glass filled with… he honestly didn't know what it was filled with.

"Hey," she said happily as she pulled up a chair across the desk from him. She put the… thing down on his desk.

"What is that?" He asked skeptically.

She beamed at him before answering. "A milkshake."

He could feel his eyebrows fly up into his hairline as he fixed her with a questioning look. "It's pink."

Kara rolled her eyes at him. "No, it's red. It's strawberry."

Lee took a closer look, but the thing still looked pink and not very much like a milkshake. "I'm sorry Kara, but that thing is pink."

She glared at him, but only half-heartedly, so he figured it was okay. Though he could have sworn he heard her mutter 'red' defiantly under her breath.

"Are you sure it's a milkshake?" He asked, reaching out to spin the glass around. "It doesn't look like one. It's too… frothy."

"Frothy?" Kara asked while crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You're making it sound like some stuck-up rich girl's favorite drink. _It's pink and frothy._" She said the last part in a fake snobbish voice.

"Well, it is."

"It's not my fault," she added, sounding put off. "I had to improvise. They didn't have all of the ingredients. Well, they didn't have most of them."

Lee couldn't hide his surprise. "_You_ made this?"

Kara scowled at him. "Yes. I did live on my own for several years Lee, I think I can manage a milkshake."

He stared at the glass some more, almost like he was expecting it to suddenly explode. "Wait," he said when a thought came to him. "When you say'they', you mean the kitchen?"

Kara nodded, smiling. "Yeah, why?"

He groaned and stared at her. "Kara, no one's allowed in the kitchen after hours, you know that. Technically I'm supposed to…"

"Throw me in the brig?" Kara finished. She was still smiling however. "I know, but I don't think even you are mean enough to throw me in the brig for making you a birthday present."

"A what?"

Kara's smile was even bigger. "You heard me, a birthday present. I know you forgot, Lee, but it is your birthday."

Lee wasn't sure if he was more shocked or touched. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Kara shrugged. "Don't mention it."

He smiled at her, genuinely happy for the first time since… gods, probably since the initial attacks. If he was thankful for one thing, it was that Kara was here with him. He never would have expected it, but she was turning out to be the best friend he ever could have asked for. Not only had she remembered it was his birthday, but she'd also managed to keep him sane thus far, and that was quite an achievement. Of course he wouldn't tell her that, the last thing he needed was for her head to get any bigger than it already was.

For a brief second Lee remembered the paperwork he'd been planning on finishing, but he shoved the thought to the back of his mind. It could wait until later. After all, his birthday did only come once a year, and he should definitely take advantage of that and celebrate it with the only person who had remembered.

"So," Lee said as he pulled the glass towards him. "Is this thing any good?"

"Mm hmm," Kara replied as she leaned forward and swiped her finger through the top before sticking it in her mouth.

Lee laughed quietly. "So you've already tried it then?"

"What?" Kara asked indignantly. "I had to make sure I wasn't going to give you food poisoning or something."

Lee shook his head in amusement as he stuck his own finger into the glass for a taste. He was actually shocked at how good it tasted. "You're right, it is good."

"Told you so." Kara took some more. "But believe me, you don't want to know what's in it."

Lee glanced down at the abnormal looking drink in front of him and nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

The End


End file.
